Thursday, August 31, 2017

Onmyoji’s Demon Servant # 8 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

In Dream Hunters, the Onmyoji plots to kill the Monk who lives in the small mountain temple.

One night, while the Fox was out hunting she came across some demons quietly talking in the forest. The Fox lay on the ground and played dead in order to hear the plans these demons recounted.

They spoke of the Onmyoji’s plans to send the Monk three nights of evil dreams and on the third night he would lose his connection to reality and die from lack of food and water.

This Demon appears in the P. Craig Russell version of Dream Hunters in # 1 on pages 22-24.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

The Creep (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Rose visits Zelda at her hospice. She brings her groceries and chocolate and flowers and sometimes sits at her bedside. During her last visit Zelda fell asleep while Rose was in her room and when she awoke she told Rose that she had been asked to give her a message. The message was from Rose’s grandmother, Unity Kincaid (who died at the end of The Doll’s House) and she told Rose go back to where she lived and that she would get her heart back.

Within the next few days Rose was on a plane heading to England to the hospital where Unity had slept away her life.

On the plane, Rose sat next to a man who she called The Creep. He smelled sour and unwashed and on the plane he read the same pornographic magazine for 12 hours. She commented that he never even bothered to look out the window.

After landing and deboarding the plane, Rose was stopped by Customs and as the customs official was looking through her belongings (and holding up a pair of frilly underwear) The Creep walked by her and was looking at her “Maybe-I’ll-Get=Lucky” underwear.

The Creep appears in Sandman # 62, on page 1 in panels 4 and 5.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Scholar # 1 (illustrated by Nicole Ingram)

In Baghdad, in the time of Haroun al Raschid, there were many wonders and splendors. There were enchanters and poets and musicians. There were mechanical wonders that imitated life and there were men with the heads of animals and animals that could speak like men.

The greatest scholars of the Quran lived within his palace as well.

This scholar can be seen in Sandman # 50, on page 2, in panel 5.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Burgess’ Guard # 13 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

Burgess captured the King Of Dreams in 1916 and kept him imprisoned in a glass cell.

He assigned guards to watch over Dream.

In 1947 Roderick Burgess dies and his son Alex continued to keep Dream imprisoned.

In 1955 Alex visited Dream and offered to free him for power and immortality and a promise not to seek revenge. Dream of course, declined.

This man was the guard who was watching over Dream on the day Alex visited Dream.

The guard appears in Sandman # 1 on page 22, in panel 1.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Demon # 360 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

In P. Craig Russell’s adaptation of Dream Hunters, a Fox and a Badger make a wager to see who can make the Monk leave his small temple.

They each try a variety of methods to convince the Monk to leave and nothing seems to sway him.

One evening the Badger created an illusion in which an army of demons surround the temple and shout that if the Monk doesn’t flee they will eat his flesh.

The Monk exits the temple and expresses his unhappiness with these tricks and chases the “demons” away with a torch. Where the demons once stood a badger remained. The Monk threw the torch and singed the tail of the Badger.

This was the last time the Badger attempted to trick the Monk into leaving his temple.

This Demon is one of the Demons that the Badger created in order to scare away the Monk.

He appears in Sandman: Dream Hunters # 1, on page 15, in panel 1.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

The Monk’s Father (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In The Dream Hunters, as the Fox lay dying in the temple, the Monk recounts a story from his youth.

The Monk, as a child, found a monkey in the market, dying. The monk knew that it was still alive and he hid it within this clothes and took it home. He fed the monkey and took care of it, nursing it back to live. The monkey and the Monk became fast friends.

One day a Lord came to the house of the Monk’s family. The monkey became defensive, barring his teeth at the Lord. The Lord ordered his men to kill the monkey with a simple gesture.

Later, the same Lord orchestrated the disgrace of The Monk’s father. The monk believes that perhaps the monkey was a spirit sent by Amida Buddah to protect the family, but they did not listen or see the warnings the monkey offered.

This is the Monk’s father.

He appears in the Amano version of Dream Hunters on pages 60-63. He can also be seen in P. Craig Russell’s version of Dream Hunters in issue # 2, on page 24, in panel 3.

Dreamer # 30 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

As Dream battles John Dee, in order to prevent the destruction of the dreamworld, all of the sleepers of the world are affected by the instability and the chaos of the battle taking place within their dream

This woman is one of the many people who is asleep and feels the horrifying effects of Dream’s struggle to regain his stolen ruby. Her sleep is haunted with the darkest nightmares.

This Dreamer appears in Sandman # 7, on page 14, in panel 4.

Friday, August 25, 2017

Demon # 199 (illustrated by Te’Shawn Dwyer)

When Morpheus decends into Hell to reclaim his stolen helm he encounters many demons of various shapes and sizes.

This is unique demon in the extremely far background.

He appears in the fantastic double page spread, which features hundreds of demons. This demon may not be the easiest to spot. It is located near the tall column to the left. I described it as a “plant-like demon” for lack of a better description.

This demon appears in Sandman # 4, on page 13.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Edmund (illustrated by Kai Martin)

Dream and Death visit a pub in England sometime between 1362-1370 and during this excursion into the waking world, Death offers Hob the opportunity to never die and never grow old.

He accepts and Dream agrees to meet him once a century to discuss his life, immortality and friendship.

This man is one of the bar patrons in the pub during Dream and Hob’s first encounter.

He appears in Sandman # 13 page 1. He is seen in the lower right corner holding a mug of ale.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Angel # 1 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In the beginning there was the breath and with that breath the silver city and its inhabitants were born.

This Angel is one of the angels who live in the Silver city, which is not paradise or heaven.

He can be seen in Sandman #24, page 14, in panel 2.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The Father’s Lawyer (illustrated by Kai Martin)

In “15 Portraits Of Despair,” from Endless Nights a father is in court hoping to get justice for something done to his child. The man is not rich, but hired a lawyer to help with the case.

The opponent has money and multiple lawyers and the judge’s verdict favors the opponent.

When the verdict is read, the father’s lawyer puts his hand on his client’s arm, trying to be sympathetic.

There are no details given in this story, but given the feeling of the story, I suspect that the opponent did something pretty horrible to the man’s child and is able to use his money and influence to escape justice.

This is father’s lawyers. He appears in the 12th Portrait of Despair on page 94 of Endless nights, or page 15 of the Despair story.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Raven # 6 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In The Kindly Ones, Assaracus and his throat-sister Mailure fload down a river of cold semen in a barge made of dead flesh.

Assaracus looks up and notices four ravens flying across the red sky of Hell.

This is one of the ravens flying through the red sky, travelling to The Dreaming.

This raven appears in Sandman # 63, on page 23, in panel 1-2.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Fireman # 6 (illustrated by Carl Sciacchitano)

In Brief Lives, Dream and Delirium travel through the mortal world in search of their missing brother, Destruction.

Along the way they stop at a hotel to rest and during their stay the hotel catches on fire. This Fireman is one of the men who worked to extinguish the blaze.

He appears in Sandman # 44, on page 24 in panel 1. He is standing near the fire truck battle the blaze of the burning hotel.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Blind Man (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In World’s End, Brant Tucker wandered the halls of the free house and found himself in a room with a man saying that he was a Seeker and was trying to find the world where Prez Rickard became the President Of The United States.

Prez Rickard was an exceptional person and even as a boy he took pride in his country and knew that when he was older he was destined to be President.

As he grew he became even more dedicated to helping people and helping his city of Steadfast.

He ran for president when he was 19 years old.

On election day there were many strange coincidences. At Cesar’s Palace in Las Vegas all of the slot machines emptied their jackpots at the exact same time. In New Haven, Connecticut a baby was born with a birthmark on his back in the shape of the United States. On this day many blind and deaf people regained their sight and hearing and an uncountable number of terminal illnesses vanished, never to return.

This is the day Prez Rickard was elected President Of The United States.

This is one of the blind men who regained his sight.

He appears in Sandman # 54, on page 9, in panel 4.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Alvie (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

Alvie is the son of Hazel and Foxglove.

During the events of A Game Of You, Hazel reveals to Barbie that she accidentally had sex with a waiter from the restaurant she worked at and is pregnant.

While in the Dreaming trying to rescue Barbie from The Cuckoo Foxglove discovers that Hazel is pregnant. She screams at Hazel, but ultimately softens after seeing Hazel cry. Foxglove complains that they are going to have to buy one of those “dumb books full of names.”

In Death: The High Cost Of Living, Sexton and Didi go to The Undercut, a club where Foxglove is playing her first live show. Hazel is very pregnant and knows that she is expecting a boy. Hazel used to work at the restaurant owned by Sexton’s mother, Sylvia. She invited Sexton and Didi to watch the concert.

Alvie was born shortly after Death: The High Cost Of Living and in Death: The Time Of Your Life Alvie is about three years oldd. One February night Alvie died. Hazel stood over his crib and could hear he was not breathing. She clutched his body close to her chest and ran outside, in the rain. Hazel knelt over his body, crying, until Death arrived.

Hazel made a deal with Death. Death would allow Alvie to live a little while longer, but sooner or later she would return and take Hazel, Foxglove and Alvie into hear realm at which point, one of them would have to stay. Hazel tried to tell Foxglove about the arrangement, but she did not believe her.

In November, Death came and took Hazel and Alvie. Foxglove, realizing that her family was in trouble, went into Death’s realm with Boris and Vito. Foxglove offered to stay behind so that her family could live. Boris objected, telling Foxglove that Larry, her old manager, had told him that he needed to take care of her and this was his way of doing it. Boris died allowing Hazel and Foxglove live.

After Boris’ funeral, Foxglove disappeared from the public eye and tried to have a normal life. Hazel and Foxglove lived in LA for awhile and raised their son together.

Alvie appears throughout Death: The Time Of Your Life.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Book Release Party Guest # 9 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

When Richard Madoc’s book “And My Love She Gave Me Light” was released in May 1987 a book release party was held.

This woman was one of the people who attended the party. She is talking to a man who is reading the book...perhaps he is reading a passage to her.

She appears in Sandman # 17 on page 12, in panel 1.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Dreamer # 137 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In P. Craig Russell’s Dream Hunters, when the Monk visits Dream, we see dreamers within his cloak.

This man is one of the dreamers floating within Dream’s cloak.

This dreamer appears in Dream Hunters # 2, on page 21 in panel 2.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Waiter # 6 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

Dream and Death visit a pub in England sometime between 1362-1384.

During this excursion into the waking world Death offers Hob the opportunity to never die and never grow old. He accepts and Dream agrees to meet him once a century to discuss his life, immortality and friendship.

This man is one of the bar patrons in the pub during Dream and Hob’s second meeting, sometime between 1462-1484.

He is serving ale to the patrons of the pub.

He can be seen in Sandman # 13 on page 7, in panel 1 and page 8, in panel 4.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Man At Boris’ Funeral # 2 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

Boris sacrificed himself to save Foxglove, Hazel and Alvie.

Foxglove and Hazel both attended Boris’ funeral and this man was at there mourning the death of a great musician.

He appears in Death: The Time Of Your Life # 3, on page 22, in panel 8.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Handicapped Kid # 2 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Urania Blackwall lives alone in a dark apartment. She never leaves her house. Her only connection to the outside world is a man names Mulligan who is her contact with The Company.

One day, out of the blue, she received a phone call from an old co-worker, Della Kariakis (formerly Della Porter). Della invites her for lunch at a restaurant called Da Vinci in the mall.

Urania prepares for her lunch date by making a silicate mask that resembled her face prior to her transformation.

When Urania meets Della for lunch, she learns that Della has a secret pregnancy that she cannot share with anyone from the company due to the illicit nature of the relationship with the father, who is a married man with the company.

As they prepare to eat lunch a group of handicapped kids pass by with their teachers. Della comments that she hopes her baby is not a freak like them. When Urania tried to defend the children Della explains that they make her skin crawl.

At this moment Urania’s mask falls off, into her spaghetti and Urania runs out of the restaurant, upset.

This girl is one of the handicapped kids who pass by the restaurant as Urania and Della are eating lunch.

She appears in Sandman # 20, on page 10, in panel 5.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Man # 55 (illustrated by Te’Shawn Dwyer)

In The Sound Of Her Wings, Dream spends the day following his sister, Death, as she fulfills her function throughout the city.

They visit many people, experiencing their last moments of life and in between appointments walk through the streets, seeing the living go about their lives.

This man is one of the people they pass as they walk through the streets.

He appears in Sandman # 8, on page 17, in panel 7.

Friday, August 11, 2017

Faery # 65 (illustrated by Andy Fish)

This Faery is another one of the faeries that attended the first performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on June 23rd 1593 in Wilmington, England near The Long Man of Wilmington.

This Faery appears in Sandman # 19, on page 7, panel 3.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Woman # 19 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

Destiny is the focus of one of the stories in Endless Nights and we get a short glimpse of the mysterious character.

Destiny’s book contains all of the history that has ever happened, that is happening and that will happen, for every person and creature with the entire universe.

This woman is one of the many people that appear on the 5th page of this story. She is not necessarily a character, but more of a representation of everyone who appears within the pages of Destiny’s book.

Kai did a great job with this portrait. He did a pretty literal interpretation of this character, not revealing her face, which in context of her appearance in the story is absolutely appropriate.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Foxglove’s Fan # 3 (illustrated by Ron Chan)

Since her appearance in Death: The High Cost of Living, Foxglove has become an international sensation. She is a famous rock star and has released several cds and has appeared on talk shows.

After performing Whole Wide World on David Letterman, she leaves the studio to head to the premier of Day In The Park, which features one of her songs on the soundtrack.

Outside Letterman’s studio a group of Foxglove’s fans wait for her. This is one of her fans.

This woman appears in Death: The Time Of Your Life # 1, on page 24, panel 2.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Magician # 3 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In 1939, Wesley Dodds visits England while investigating the suicide of his friend Linus Benchley.

His investigation leads him to Fawney Rig, the home of Roderick Burgess.

Dodds, attends a party thrown by Burgess and for the evening’s entertainment several magicians performed, filling the night with illusions and miracles.

This man is one of the magicians that performed at the Burgess party.

He appears in Sandman Midnight Theatre on page 43.